Holabird Advocate

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Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Hinkle Empire is Worldwide

Last week,it was declared that the Hinkle Empire is the exact opposite of Colonial England. It IS Representation without Taxation. But recently we've found something in common with the Brits. The Sun will not set on the Hinkle Empire, at least not right away. We're seeing quite a little more Red on the map these days. There is a lot of empty space between Korea and Hungary, however. We'll take care of that in good time.

Publisher Gets Callback

Meanwhile, back in the real world, Dan Miller asked Jerry Hinkle to come back to the auditions for "Anne Frank" tonight at 7pm to help read through with the ladies. Jerry is cautiously optomistic about a possible role in this show. Of course, last night he was the only guy there. There was another DWU student present that Jerry didn't know, and three Junior High girls as well, each of which could be THE Anne Frank.

As it happens, Jerry doesn't have to help out at the Methodist Church Pancake Feed because it is next Tuesday. That's right, next week is Mardi Gras, and Shrove Tuesday. Jerry has an extra week before he has to give up the pig like behavior. He's decided to beat the Lenten rush and give it up now anyway. Anyone wanna take a bet on how this'll go?Fraudulent Fundraisers Exploiting America's Veterans

Submitted by Marla McGeorge

Have you received one of those letters in the mail—asking you to send money to help wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan?If so, I hope you ignored it—not because I do not care about our troops, but because I do. It turns out that at least two of these charities are run by people who would rather line their own pockets than help veterans.One charity is called Help Hospitalized Veterans. The Washington Post reports that this outfit spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on personal expenses for Roger Chapin, who manages the charity. Richard Viguerie, "to whom the charity has awarded millions in fundraising-consulting contracts," also reportedly used contributions to pay for personal expenses.What kind of expenses? At least $340,000 in meals, hotels, and entertainment. And Mike Lynch, the executive director, received a loan of $135,000 for a divorce settlement for his ex-wife. Donations also paid for trips to Hawaii, country club memberships, and a million-dollar loan to Viguerie for a start-up initiative at his company. That does not even count the half-a-million-dollar yearly salary Chapin paid himself and his wife!The second charity, the Coalition to Support America's Heroes, raised in excess of $168 million from 2004 to 2006. How much did America's heroes actually get? One-quarter. The rest went to direct-mail fundraising, salaries, and other expenses.These abuses—both of the people who donated the money and the veterans the funds were supposed to benefit—were so serious that Congress decided to investigate. Retired Army General Tommy Franks, who had lent his name to Coalition to Support America's Heroes, stopped doing so when he found out how little money was actually helping the veterans.Last week Congress condemned Chapin for what they called "an intolerable fraud"—squandering money intended for wounded warriors. When asked what would happen if the public found out, Chapin answered, "We'd be out of business." Let's hope so!The military charity scandals illustrate why good character is so important when we are choosing leaders—whether they are leaders of charities or leaders of government. The Old Testament reminds us that leaders are not to pervert justice or take bribes. They should fear God and hate dishonest gain.All waste and fraud are wrong, but the squandering of money intended for our veterans truly makes me ill. These are the men and women who risked their lives to protect America. To exploit our veterans to enrich oneself is contemptible.Shockingly, there are not any laws that require charities to tell donors how their contributions are used. This means that when appeals arrive in your mailbox, like those letters with the coin in the window or the dollar bill, watch out. I would take the money, give it to a deserving charity, and throw the letter away.You can check on charities' records with a watchdog group—like the American Institute of Philanthropy. Or go to Wallwatchers.org for information on Christian charities.